Daughters of the Desert: Stories of Remarkable Women from Christian, Jewish and Muslim Traditions

by Claire Rudolf Murphy, Meghan Nuttall Sayres

How would the most cherished stories of Christianity, Judaism and Islam be different if women were the active central figures? This ground-breaking collection of short stories brings to life the women―daring, brave, thoughtful and wise―who played important and exciting roles in the early days of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Join Esther as she stands against injustice and her king to save her people, Aisha as she leads hundreds of men into terrifying battle and Mary as she and Elizabeth dream of the new lives growing inside them. How must Sarah have felt, turning Hagar out into the desert? And how must Hagar have felt, traveling from the safety and security of Abraham's land toward an uncertain future? These stories invite us to come to know and appreciate the struggles and triumphs of these women―mothers, daughters, believers and seekers.

Genres: Religion, Christian, Theology, Womens, Fiction, Spirituality

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 2012

About the author

Claire Rudolf Murphy has loved history since she was a young girl; in fact she majored in it at Santa Clara University. Murphy is the author of fourteen books for children. A former middle and high school teacher, she is a member of the faculty of Hamline University's Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults. She lives in Washington.

Reviews

[Daughters Of Abraham]

Multiple authors interpret women’s stories of all three faith traditions. Easy read. Not deep. Not highly recommended, although we learned to think outside the box about some of the stories we grew up with.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmm.... this book is a good starting point for book clubs and interfaith discussions BUT there should be knowledgeable Christians, Jews and Muslims in the room. The stories are about important women in all three religions but they are all short and I think would lead to more questions than answers if you had no knowledge about each of the religions. Folks invested in their own religions may also see the stories of others with a biased eye.

I liked the book but am worried about its messages being misconstrued.

[Karah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had anticipated this would be an adult nonfiction book. Instead, it's a collection of short stories for adolescents. Widespread readership of this book could lead to greater coexistence between the Abrahamic communities. I appreciated learning the Muslim perspective. My mental picture of Aisha is of her during childhood. In this collection, Susan Conover presents Aisha in womanhood waging a ferocious battle.

I languished on this book but it can be read in an afternoon.

Kudos to the writers!!!

[Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

More things to add to the 'why does religion wants to put other people in the wrong' worry. Is it all property and private ownerships?

[Sydney Avey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes the art is in the way an anthology of stories is put together. These stories about women of faith written for young people are presented in the context of the three monotheistic traditions. The story of Hagar in the Qur’an is very different from the Biblical account, yet the essential truth is identical; God provided for two ancestral lines descending from Abraham.

This book would be a good introduction to World Religions for young people or a good topical study for adults who want to explore different perspectives in the monotheistic faiths.

[Cathy Leverkus · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is nice to see these three different points-of-view in one book.